[danifacetastic]

So my betta has been bloated for a month now and a few weeks ago I QT'd him. He was on Maracyn Plus/Epsom salt for 5 doses and I changed the water every other day. As of 2 days ago I stopped treatment and I upped his QT tank from a 1 gallon to a 1.5 gallon. Now that he's in a tank with a light his severely swollen section looks translucent - like a huge blister. He's eating, pooping, and swimming like normal.

 

[xjenuhfur]

Jesus he's monstrous! Maybe it's a tumor?

 

[MyRainbowBettaFish]

You could try feeding him a single, cooked, de-shelled pea to reduce constipation.

I hope he feels better!

Good Luck

 

[LebronTheBetta]

Oh God. Fast him for a few days. I have heard that the pea won't help. But, it
doesn't hurt to try, I guess. Good Luck on his diet!

 

[MyRainbowBettaFish]

I don't know to be honest if the pea method works or not, but those who have claimed they tried have had success. Just a suggestion.....

 

[Luimeril]

if it hasn't gone down at all, it might be internal parasites. x: try fasting him for a few days. if that doesn't help, try soaking a pellet in fresh crushed garlic juice. heard that helps with internal parasites.

 

[MollyJean]

Don't feed him a pea, it'll just give him gas, the last thing he needs. Fast him, a betta can go weeks without food, but you shouldn't need to that long, and look for other symptoms that might indicate a tumor or parasite. From the picture, it looks like the worst bloat I've ever seen, but it could be something else.

(EDIT)

After looking around some, it might be an early symptom of Dropsy. The BFF entry for Dropsy says this:

Dropsy
•Symptoms: Your betta will have a bloated belly and raised scales. They will look like a pine cone. This is usually a fatal disease caused by an internal bacterial infection resulting in internal organ failure but many have had success bringing fish back when treated quickly.
Early Symptoms: Swollen eyes (important), Gray belly (important), Clamped fins, Lethargy. If your fish has swollen eyes and a gray belly, I suggest that you treat it for Dropsy.
•Treatment: If you spot the early signs of Dropsy then treat him/her with ES at 1-2tsp/gal and Jungle’s Anti-Parasite pellets while performing 100% daily water changes. It helps to increase the temperature to 84*F. If he/she has begun Pineconning then do the full course as described below:
Performing daily 100% water changes. Increase the temperature to 84*F. Add 1-2 tsp/gal Epsom Salt. Use API General Cure OR API Erythromycin OR Maracyn II and/or Maracyn for best results. Feed something containing Metronidazole, for example, Jungle’s Anti-Parasite pellets. If caught early, Dropsy is curable.

There are other sites that have more information, and I found this one the most informative.

http://nippyfish.net/sick-betta/dropsy/

This was helpful, as well

http://nippyfish.net/2007/02/23/betta-with-severely-swollen-abdomen/

You should do some searching on your own though, and look into finding some antibiotics.

 

[xjenuhfur]

The only reason I didn't say internal parasites is because you've already done the Epsom salt treatment with Meds. He doesn't seem to have any of the other symptoms of dropsy.

 

[Shiverdam]

It really looks like Dropsy...

 

[danifacetastic]

I does look like dropsy but I've tried fasting, epsom salt, and Maracyn Plus. Should I try Maracyn I or II?

 

[ootfifawithbubba]

his fins look shredy and weird , outher than the bloat , any outher medical problems

 

[Kim]

I'm thinking internal parasites. I once rescued an entire tank full of guppies that had been in deplorable conditions. After slowly getting everything cleaned up, I kept loosing fish. They would suddenly get extremely bloated- looked exactly like your guy- and die within a few days. After doing a lot of research I realized they had the white, stringy poops that are a hallmark of internal parasites. You say he is pooping... what do they look like? Like I said, white and stringy is a very strong indication of parasites.

That being said, I wouldn't bother with any external treatments. They really don't seem to be effective at all from my experience. The only thing that worked for me was medicated food (I believe mine was from Jungle Labs). The only problem is that it can be hard to get them to eat it, although soaking in garlic can help as it is an appetite stimulant. If it is parasites, that would also explain why the antibiotic treatment hasn't helped.

 

[Shiverdam]

his fins look shredy and weird , outher than the bloat , any outher medical problems

I believe that's just because he's a crowntail.

 

[danifacetastic]

There's no other medical problems, and his poop looks normal. I've never been able to find the medicated food before, I looked when my last fish came down with dropsy. Where can I find them?

 

[Luimeril]

dropsy would affect the whole body, if i'm not mistaking, not just the tummy area. it could be an internal tumor. facebook is acting up badly for me, otherwise i'd be able to tell you exactly what people said about it. :I

 

[danifacetastic]

Thats why I'm wondering. Idk if anyone remembers me posting in the past few months about my fish Kwimby who we came to the conclusion that had dropsy. He was bloated for months and it was an all over thing. He also became lethargic and short of breath. This fish isn't doing that. And he was a little bloated and it's gotten much bigger, just in the past month. I'm afraid of coming home and having him busted open dead on the gravel.

Is there anything I could do if it was a tumor?

 

[Kim]

Unfortunately there's nothing you can do if it's a tumor.

I believe I got my medicated food for internal parasites at either PetSmart or Pet Quarters. Also, just wanted to add that my comment about medicated food being the only thing that worked was directed at only treatment for internal parasites. I realized reading it today that it was a bit unclear.

 

[Tikibirds]

I am going to go with the tumor theory. If he had parasites, he poop most likely would of been stringy and white. How long have you fasted him for?
If epsom and salt did not work it is possible he has a tumor.

Have you tried any meds for bacterial infections. I suppose its possible he has an internal bacterial infection of some sort. If you have maracyn and maracyn 2 you can combine them - that way it will take care of any gram negative and gram positive bacterial infections. However if he was THAT sick, there would most likely be other symptoms like lethargy and clamped fins. If he is that bog and still acting OK, I am inclined to think its a tumor

 

[xjenuhfur]

I've been keeping up with this thread since my last post, how is he doing now? Still acting normal just really big?

 

[danifacetastic]

I already treated with Maracyn Plus and epsom and there's no change. I fasted for a week before treating with medicine. He's acting normal. I don't have Maracyn but I have Maracyn II and no access to meds...they're 1.5 hours away.